International Day For The Abolition of Slavery

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, December 2,  2021:  The following is the message of the UNSG His Excellency Antonia Gutters on the occasion of The International Day For The Abolition of Slavery:

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is a day of remembrance and recognition and an urgent call to action.

We must never forget the immeasurable suffering of millions of African men, women, and children under the evil of the transatlantic slave trade.

We honor the resilience of those who endured and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the universal quest for freedom.

The racist legacy of slavery reverberates to this day.

And while some may believe slavery to be a thing of the past, this evil continues to blight our modern world.

Debt bondage, serfdom, and forced labor, trafficking in persons for exploitation -- including sexual exploitation, forced marriage, child labor -- and the recruitment of children in armed conflict – are contemporary manifestations of slavery.

All are crimes and egregious violations of human rights.

Modern slavery often hides in plain sight.

Of the over 40 million victims of slavery today, one in four are children; three in four are women and girls.

Some are forced to produce the clothes we wear, the food we eat or construct the buildings we live and work in.

Poor and marginalized groups -- in particular racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, refugees, and migrants -- are at the highest risk.

Women and girls from minority groups are among the most vulnerable of all.

Two decades ago, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action recognized the connection between racism, discrimination, and human trafficking.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency for greater vigilance.  We must ensure decent work and prevent human rights violations across global supply chains.

I call on the Member States, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen collective action to end the heinous practice of slavery.

I urge all countries to intensify their efforts to identify and protect victims and survivors – including by contributing to the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

Let us join forces to end the degradation and inhumanity of modern slavery once and for all.